Backyard Houston Wedding by Loft Photographie

Christina and Christopher were married in her parent’s backyard in Houston, Texas. Details from the day were inspired by everything from family recipes to careers. We’re absolutely obsessing over all the jewel toned colors and the big white tented reception! Very special thanks to Loft Photographie for sharing their work with us! Be sure to read all about the wedding in Christina’s write up!

Our wedding took place in Houston, Texas in the 2-acre backyard of my childhood home, which my father designed and built. Having watched my “renaissance man” father build and fix everything as a child, it was a natural progression for me to become a structural engineer and architect, so having our wedding at the home my dad built felt just right. My husband Chris also enjoys building things and this common interest actually brought us together early in our relationship. Being close to our families, we felt that having our wedding at home would honor our families and family’s legacy. Many things about our wedding were handmade, and I have to thank my talented sisters and friends, who contributed in various amazing ways.

As a designer, I wanted to put many personal, homemade touches to the day. I designed the letterpress invitations on bold-colored papers and a RSVP postcard offset-printed with pawprints of our dog. When I couldn’t think of an image that encapsulated Chris and my relationship, I resorted to sketching Bernal Hill, where we went on one of our first dates to fly a kite. Napkins were stamped with a design I made of our silhouettes & a spirograph design, a childhood fascination of mine. The bridesmaids’ dresses were emerald, my mom’s favorite color, as a way of honoring her memory. I also wore my late grandmother’s pearls around my wrist. We served some of our favorite drinks to fight the heat: cold-brew Blue Bottle iced coffee (a San Francisco import), mint sweet tea, and strawberry-basil limeade.

At the ceremony, a table was setup with items for the comfort of the guests: botanical bug spray made by the bride’s sister, sandalwood fans, and emerald and chartreuse paper parasols. Two of my sisters made all the bouquets, foraging for grapes and various random vegetation growing in the backyard when it looked like the arrangements needed fillers.

The reception was held in a white pole tent in the backyard behind the lily pad pond and vegetable garden. As a gardener, I had a very specific list of jewel-toned flowers I wanted in the bouquets & arrangements: leucadendrons, Chilean peonies, thistle, anemone, mango calla lilies, silver dollar eucalyptus, sweet peas, and dahlias. Lisa Wright of HEB took this list and took my vision a step further, taking inspiration from one of my favorite books on floral arrangement, The Flower Recipe by Studio Choo. Native California echiveria were planted in homemade mercurized round jars as an homage to my now state of residence and her late grandmother who grew all sorts of succulents in the backyard. They were placed on a moss runner alongside the centerpieces. My dad made our photobooth and some photographer friends set up lights and an iPad on a tripod setup with a Photobooth app. The favors included a black tote bag with a hand-drawn collection of objects and images that the couple enjoyed together. My family is obsessed with gardening, so of course, my dad invited the guests to pick sesame leaf to take home.

Since the vast majority of guests were not from Texas, an entire day of events was scheduled the day after the wedding. As an ode to the Eames’ House of Cards, information cards outlining the day’s events were designed and setup at the brunch.

Vendors: Photography: Loft Photographie // Caterer: Coode Co. BBQ // Floral Designer: Central Market // Musicians: Dave Zeger Strings // Dress Designer: Vera Wang // Equipment Rentals: Aztec Rentals // Tuxedo and Mens Attire: Ermeneglido Zegna // Bridesmaid Dresses: J. Crew